Breakthrough in Hydrogen Production By Offshore Wind Power: Top Type Fixed Ball Valve Realizes 5,000 Hours Of Leak-Free Operation in Seawater Medium

Under the background of global energy transition, offshore wind power generation of hydrogen as an important direction of renewable energy hydrogen generation is facing unprecedented development opportunities. Technological breakthroughs in this area are not only crucial for optimizing the energy mix, but also hold far-reaching implications for achieving the "dual carbon" goals. Recently, the top-inlet fixed ball valve has achieved 5,000 hours of leak-free operation in seawater medium, which marks a solid step forward in offshore wind hydrogen production technology in China.
Hydrogen from offshore wind: a promising path to clean energy
Offshore wind power has advantages of abundant resources, non-occupation of land and stability of wind energy, which is an important direction of clean energy development in the future. With continuous progress of technology, the installed capacity of offshore wind power in China has been growing steadily, and the cumulative installed capacity of offshore wind power in China ranks first in the world. However, the large-scale development of offshore wind power also faces the challenge of power consumption and transmission. The conversion of offshore wind power into hydrogen energy can not only effectively solve the problem of power consumption, but also realize flexible energy utilization through long-distance transportation and hydrogen storage.
Hydrogen production from offshore wind lies based on hydroelectrolysis. At present, the main hydrogen production water electrolysis techniques include alkaline water electrolysis, proton exchange membrane water electrolysis and solid oxide water electrolysis. ALK technology is mature and cost-effective, but boot-stop response time is relatively long. PEM technology has the advantages of fast start, high current density and good adaptability to offshore wind power fluctuations. SOEC technology is the most efficient, but operates at high temperatures with a relatively short service life and is still in the early demonstration stage.
Heading fixed ball valve: key equipment in Seawater Medium
In the process of hydrogenation of offshore wind power, the thrust fixed ball valve is the core device of fluid control, which directly affects the stability and safety of the whole system. The seawater environment has the characteristics of high salt fog corrosion, strong chloride ion erosion, high corrosion wear and tear, marine biofouling, etc.. There are strict requirements for corrosion resistance, sealing reliability, structural strength and operation adaptability of valve materials.
Head-in fixed ball valve has excellent performance in seawater media due to its unique design advantages. The valve is designed with a fixed sphere which is fixed in the valve body by upper and lower bearing or fulcrum, eliminating floating displacement. Sealing is mainly achieved by movement or elastic deformation of the valve seat seal ring. This design not only improves the sealing performance of the valve, but also reduces operating torque and extends service life.
5,000 hours of Leak-Free Operation: milestone for technology breakthrough
Recently, the domestic top-inlet fixed ball valve has achieved a remarkable 5,000-hour leak-free operation in seawater medium, marking a major technological breakthrough in the field of hydrogen production from offshore wind power in China. The valve incorporates a number of innovative technologies adapted to the specific challenges of the seawater environment:
Corrosion resistant material: Valve body is made of special alloy such as 2507 super duplex stainless steel.
Triple Anti-Corrosion Sealing Technology: The valve body is prepared with plasma activation + ceramic composite coating technology with coating thickness ≥ 100 microns, a porosity ≤ ≤ 0.5%, and resistance to salt salt spray corrosion resistance up to 12,000 hours. The sealing system is made of fluoride rubber (FKM)/perfluoroelastomer (FFKM) sealing material, resistant to seawater corrosion and expansion, and has a service life four times that of regular rubber. valve stem is protected by an explosion-proof design and sealed with flexible graphite/PTFE composite packing, eliminating the risk of external leakage.
Intelligent precision control: The valve actuator are equipped with a self-developed high-precision servo control system with positioning accuracy ± ±0.05%, adjustment error ≤ ± 0.1%, response time ≤ 0.3s.
Application Prospects and Outlook
The top-inlet fixed ball valve can operate without leakage for 5000 hours in seawater medium, which not only provides reliable key equipment for offshore wind power hydrogen production systems, but also injects new impetus into the development of marine engineering, seawater desalination and coastal power in china. With the development of technology and further reduction of cost, offshore wind power hydrogen production is expected to be an important component of clean energy in the future.
In the future, China should continue to increase research and development investment in the field of hydrogen production field from offshore wind power and promote breakthroughs in key technologies and their industrial applications. At the same time, we will strengthen cooperation and exchanges with international advanced levels to jointly promote global energy transition and sustainable development.